Vaz hopeful that 2025 will signal end of diesel oil theft at JUTC

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has declared that the theft of diesel oil at the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) should soon be a thing of the past, with positive results being predicted as early as this year.

Vaz gave the assurance in response to theories that diesel oil that was found in Lakes Pen, St Catherine last week, may have been stolen from JUTC buses and was being sold in an illegal distribution operation.

Police and the military personnel disrupted the illegal activities in the community on Thursday morning, this after several containers were found in the area. A man was also fatally shot during the police-military operation.

In response to the developments, Vaz issued a statement, acknowledging that the theft of diesel oil from the JUTC has been a perennial problem.

"As you know, we have already ordered and cleared 100 CNG (compressed natural gas) buses, with another 70 to come by June of this year, with a further 100 in the next financial year, and that will see us moving away from diesel," Vaz informed.

Daryl Vaz 

"There are also some plans to put in some technology to be able to track the diesel, both going in and out of the remaining diesel buses.

"So I am hopeful that 2025 will be the year that we put behind us the issue of the theft of diesel oil, which has been costing the JUTC and the taxpayers multi-millions of dollars per year," the minister indicated.

In reiterating that the stakeholders have a plan, Vaz said the Acting Managing Director of the JUTC, Owen Ellington, who is a former police commissioner, is working closely with the police and the military relative to the theft of diesel oil at the bus company.

"I am sure that we will see results in the coming year (20)25, this year," Vaz stated.